Through it All
by Secret Agent Girl
Summary: SPOILERS FOR EPISODES 2.05...S/V...post-Counteragent AU fluff
1. Emotionless

            Title: **Through it All**

            Author: Secret Agent Girl (SAG)

            'Ship: I'm sorry, do you not know me? PLEASE! S/V!!

            Rating: Eh... We'll go with PG-13

            A/N: This was the first thing I ever wrote for fan fiction and decided to go back, re-work some of it and do some actual editing. It's was written off some Counteragent spoilers so it doesn't exactly follow suit to the show. It's basically AU after…oo... the first two chapters?! It has some things the same but I just didn't feel like going back and re-writing the entire outline. It's basically… FLUFF. 

**Ch 1 - Emotionless**

She walked into the small room, the mechanical beeps and murmurs surrounding her, echoing, making her head ring. She walked towards him slowly, blinking back tears. She willed herself not to cry, knowing that her tears would only make things worse, would only make it harder. She wanted to go back to the feeling of relief she had when he called her in the restaurant earlier, informing her of his health. He had said he was fine.

            As she neared his bed, she could hear his steady breathing, aided softly by the think tube across his nose. She promised herself she wouldn't break down as she stopped by his side, his body encased in a plastic curtain, a single hole on the side allowing hands to sneak through.

            He could feel her presence from the moment she had entered the room, and while he kept his eyes closed he knew it was her. Only Sydney Bristow walked like that. Only Sydney Bristow made his heart rate quicken.

            As she stopped by his bed, he knew she was fighting the urge to cry. He turned his head towards her and slowly opened his eyes. "Hey."

"Hi." She smiled at him, only slightly, cringing at the weakness in his voice. 

"How are you feeling?" She asked him slowly, barely rising above a whisper.

            "I've been better." He replied smiling, hoping to cheer her up.

            "I can imagine." She paused for a moment, tears in her eyes.

"I need to ask you to do something for me, Syd." 

She was shocked by his statement but she nodded all the same. "Anything."

"I need you not to cry." She was completely shocked by his demand. She had tried so hard to keep her emotions masked but her eyes betrayed her.

"OK…"

"I need you not to cry, because every time you do, I get this urge to hold you and make your stop and I can't do that now. You can cry all you want when I'm better." He finished with a weak smile.

She let out a soft wispy laugh at his remark and wiped at the tears threatening to drop. "Ok. I'll try." She brought a chair from the wall to his bed and sat down next to him, placing her hand just outside the opening at his side. "This is all my fault." She told his as the tears she tried to hold back cascaded down her cheeks. She didn't even bother to wipe them away. "You wouldn't be here if you hadn't come with me to Taipei. God, I've almost killed you twice in one mission. That should be me in there, not you."

"Sydney, no." He stated as he reached for her hand and gripped it tightly. "Don't even for one minute blame yourself. I followed you to Taipei on my own. You had nothing to do with it. I am my own person. You cannot blame yourself for other people's actions." He gripped her hand tightly as the tears rolled down her cheeks.

"You have to be ok. Do you understand? I can't do this without you. I won't do this without you. Vaughn, I need you." He smiled at her and held her hand with all the strength he could muster.

"Don't worry."

"Yeah, in a couple days you'll be doing wind sprints."

"Yeah," Vaughn said. "I was thinking about a triathlon."

She knew that it was risky, staying there as long as she was, but it might be her last chance. Those words in his eyes… she had heard them. She needed him to know she heard them. "... Everything we do... all the time we spend together... and I don't know anything about you, really..." She tightened her grip around his fingers, protectively, trying to reassure herself that he was still there, that he could hear her as his eyes blinked slowly, before drifting shut. "I don't know what movies you like, what books you read... what music you listen to. I don't even know where you live. But I've always thought... that someday... after... after all this...that I'd get to know those things." She looked down at him, his once steady shallow breathing almost non existent. 

"Vaughn? Vaughn!"

            The heart monitor at his side began to stream a steady line accompanied by a high pitched beep that rang out mocking her helplessness. Her entire body jumped at the noise and she felt her heart contract as she began to panic.

The doctors began to stream in pushing Sydney out of their way as they began to wheel him out of the room and towards the O.R.

"Wait, wait! Is he going to be ok?" She frantically called.

"We don't know, but you have to wait out here." A white clad nurse informed her, carefully putting her body between Sydney and the O.R., Noticing a meek looking blonde behind Sydney, she leaned in closer towards her, whispering, "Your designated cover: you're with the State Department's Bureau of Arms. You name is Rita Stevens, you only a colleague. Give no details of his illness."

_What the hell! I'm worried about him, I'm not brain dead! She wanted to scream as the nurse briskly turned away and walked in the direction of the OR. Turning around, Sydney came face to face with the one thing she never expected._

The young blond woman approached her with tears in her eyes. "Is he going to be ok?" Sydney could barely move. He mind raced back to one of her first meetings with Vaughn and the picture on his desk, she recognized the woman in front of her instantly. Her hair was shorter and the smile was absent from her petite features, but she was still the same woman, she was still Alice.

"Um…Um…I…I…"Sydney couldn't think. She glanced back towards the OR straining to see where Vaughn had been taken only moments before when she was pulled back into the room by Alice's weak voice, thick with tears.

"Do you know Michael? Can you tell me what's going on? I don't know, they just called me and began asking all these questions, when was his last meal..." Her voice was shaking and despite her attempts to stay cool, Sydney felt a pang of jealousy as she realized she wasn't the one who would be called. She wasn't the one who would know the answers to those questions.

"Why, why would they call you?" Sydney asked. _Hadn't they broken up? She thought to herself, jealousy surging through her veins._

"I'm Michael's emergency contact. I'm his girlfriend, Alice." She stated, extending her hand to Sydney. "How do you know Michael?" She questioned seeing the hurt and questions in Sydney's eyes.

Sydney reluctantly took Alice's hand and automatically began to compartmentalize. "Rita Stevens. I work with him. I was just stopping by to see how he was doing." She shook Alice's hand slightly before letting go. Just being in the presence of this woman was like knife to her heart.

            "I hope he's ok."

Sydney could see the fear in Alice's eyes and hear it in her voice. "He'll be fine. He'll be fine." Sydney voiced her observations with all confidence, comforting Alice but at the same time coming to a decision. "Excuse me." Alice nodded as Sydney turned and walked in the opposite direction of the O.R. and out of the hospital. 

She entered the Task Force building and proceeded straight to her mother's cell, completely ignoring her father and Kendall's questioning stares as she passed them. She reached her mother's cell and slammed her hand on the window to get her attention. "I did a lot to get you back here. Don't make me regret it. Is there an antidote to the virus?" Sydney peered at her mother completely emotionless. Everything was taking a back burner compared to this.

"Yes." Was the reply, simple, cold.

"Where is it, how can I get it and once I do, what do I do with it once I have it?"

Her mother looked back at her for a moment studying the severe lines in her daughter's face and the pain, anger and fear that danced in her eyes. It only took her a moment before she answered her daughter.

Sydney left the holding cell without so much as thanking her mother. In her mind, her mother didn't deserve it, not this time. She walked quickly to Kendall who was standing, conversing with her father.

"Get me on a plane." Kendall looked at her questioningly and was about to reply when Jack stepped in.

"To where?" Sydney looked at him, shocked but decided to ask questions later.

"Paldiski."

Jack nodded and bent down to the computer next to him and began to type. When he had gotten what he wanted from the computer, he stood back up and looked at his daughter. "You leave in an hour."

Sydney nodded and turned towards the door to leave when Kendall stuck out his arm and gripped Sydney's wrist. She whipped around and stared at him directly in the eyes, heated threats spurting out of her fiery eyes. "Stop. What do you think you are doing? The CIA has not given you an assignment."

"I suggest you let go of my arm. No one is going to stop me from getting this antidote." Sydney threatened him.

He looked at her, surprised at her sudden disregard for his authority. While neither of the Bristows had ever been completely forthcoming when it came to authority, Sydney had never been one to use her force in a matter. He slowly let go of her wrist, making sure to keep eye contact. "I just got word that Agent Vaughn has stabilized again."

"Good. All the more reason why I should be leaving for this antidote. I'll see you when I return, antidote in hand." She wheeled around on her heel and walked out of the building all emotions drained from her face and her mind completely focusing on one thing.

Saving Vaughn.


	2. You Have Feelings For Him

            Title: **Through it All**

            Author: Secret Agent Girl (SAG)

            'Ship: Not even gonna dignify that with a response

            Rating: PG-13

            A/N: There is a bunch of pop culture references in here. Mainly movies… but hell… I plan on getting into the whole biz so I basically am a gigantic film geek. That's life. Oh, and please keep in mind I wrote this before seeing both The Counteragent and Abduction so I just wrote everything on spoilers. Therefore, obviously, its not all the same as what actually happened. 

**Ch.**** 2 – You Have Feelings For Him**

She collapsed on her couch, relief flooding through her veins. He was fine. He was better than fine. He was completely cured and going home. She could have cried with relief if she hadn't been so emotionally drained.

"Hey." A voice sounded behind her from the hallway.

She smiled as she turned her head towards the figure walking towards her, his blue eyes shining.

"Hey." She replied happily.

"You seem much better."

"I _feel_ much better."

 "So he's ok I'm guessing."

Sydney smiled at the jealousy that flickered across his eyes, if only for a moment. "Yeah. He's doing great, completely recovered. He, um, he went home today." Her smiled faded slightly at her last sentence, her mind wandering back to just _who he would be going home to._

Will could sense her jealousy and pain as her smile flickered, though he was unsure why. "Hey you wanna get out of here?" He asked her suddenly.

"Huh? Where are we going to go?" She asked him questioningly wondering where he could possibly take her to remove her mind from whom Vaughn would be going home to and how that person wouldn't be her.

"Come on. We'll go see Francie. You'll drink, I'll have water and we'll laugh at my decrepit-ness for the fact that I am kicking an addiction I never had." He smiled childishly.   

Sydney couldn't help but giggle at his smirk. He knew how to make her smile when she desperately needed it most, but he could never replace Vaughn. She knew there was nothing that she could do about the situation; she simply couldn't be with him, no matter how much she wished for it. She nodded her head at Will and went to her room change out of her work attire. 

She left her room a few minutes later in comfortable clothes with her hair hanging loosely around her shoulders, more than ever determined to not let this get to her. She smiled at Will as the two left her apartment and proceeded to Francie's restaurant.

To look back on the night Sydney would never deny that everything had started wonderfully, though she wouldn't deny that she had never expected what had happened to have happened, either. Sitting with Will, Francie behind the bar, she struggled to keep her mind on being there with her friends, enjoying a night off for once, but she couldn't help it as her mind wandered back in to Vaughn's hospital room and the chills that ran up and down her spine when he had gripped her hand, the warmth that, that simple gesture had given her.

Sydney was shocked back to reality as Will tapped her on the shoulder. "Syd, Syd, look." He jerked his head towards the door and Sydney followed his motion and stopped suddenly when she noticed the tall dirty blond man enter the restaurant, his green eyes sparkling in the dim light. Her heart almost leapt, until she noticed that he had not entered alone. Alice was standing there next to him.       

 Alice looked around the room, admiring the simple color of the walls and the atmosphere the entire place seemed to be swelling with. She was slightly shocked when she noticed Sydney sitting at the bar with Will and nudged Vaughn before walking towards Sydney. Sydney's eyes widened as she saw them from the corner of her eye, nearing the bar.

Vaughn's breath caught in his throat as he noticed where Alice was taking him. She had told him about the "concerned colleague" that she had met when she arrived at the hospital, but he didn't imagine it would be Sydney. Especially since Alice had referred to the woman as "Rita".

The two neared the bar and Vaughn could see the worry in Sydney's eyes. But there was something else there too, that he just couldn't place. When he saw that Sydney was sitting with Will, his heart sunk a bit.

"Hey, Rita, funny running into you here!" Alice's voice was light and full of happiness, a direct change from the last time Sydney had spoken to her.   

"Yeah. Hi, Alice." Sydney prayed Will and Vaughn would catch on and neither would call her Sydney.

"Hey." It was all Vaughn could get out. The shock of seeing Sydney out in public, actually being able to look her in the eye, was still getting to him.

"Hi. I'm, I'm glad you're, ah, feeling better." Sydney relied with a slight smile, disgusted with her own awkwardness.

"Oh, my Michael could never stay sick. He's way too stubborn for that." Alice didn't realize the power of her words as Vaughn smiled slightly. He had only become so stubborn to dying since he had become Sydney's handler. "Hi, I'm Alice." Alice stuck her hand out to Will and Sydney mentally slapped herself for being so blind to Will being there.

"Hey, I'm Will, a friend of Rita's. How are you doing Michael?" Will was a quick study and after shaking Alice's hand quickly turned his attention to Vaughn, asking him the polite question, but remembering to use his first name. "Vaughn" would bring up too many questions.

"A lot better, thanks. I had a good friend who helped me out." Vaughn said looking pointedly at Sydney for a brief moment.  

Oblivious to the fact that he hadn't meant her, Alice reached her hand around Vaughn's waist and leaned up to kiss him on the cheek. "I'm just glad you're ok." She said, smiling brightly.

"Hmmm" was all Sydney could muster, the jealousy fading and being replaced by hurt. Seeing the two of them together worse than any torture she had ever had to endure.          

Will could see her walls slowly deteriorating and took the opportunity to get her out of the situation. "Oh geez, Rita, I've gotta work on that research project, tonight. I have a presentation due tomorrow, I completely forgot. You think you could give me a lift home?" Sydney thanked Will with her eyes, silently reminding herself that she would have to remember this the next time he was itching for a drink.         

"Oh, yeah. No problem. It was nice to see you again Alice." Sydney replied as she collected her purse and stood.

"Yeah, you too Rita."

"I'll see you at work, probably, Rita." Sydney turned when she heard Vaughn's voice.

"Hmm." She smiled. "Bye."

"Bye."  

As Sydney and Will walked towards the door, she turned her head ever so slightly only to witness Alice return her arm around Vaughn's waist and Vaughn slide his arm around her. Sydney quickly quickened her pace out of the restaurant, holding a breath until she was inside her car.      

The ride home was silent and despite his want to comfort his obviously hurting friend, Will kept silent.        

When they go back to Sydney's apartment, she went straight into her room, grabbed the most comfortable pair of pajama's she owned and headed straight for the shower.      

When Will heard the water begin to run, he knew that his greatest fear had come to pass. Sydney was taking one of her famous "wash away the pain" showers; she took a lot of those after Danny died. Sydney was in love, with someone other than him and it was killing her to see that man with another woman. Settling himself down in front of the TV, Will waited, watching an old movie, for his friend to finish washing away all the pain and hurt she had acquired at the bar.

After a long, hot shower, Sydney emerged from the bathroom, a cloud of steam announcing her arrival to the outside. She felt much better, but there was still a tug at her heart that she knew she wouldn't be able to get rid of.

Sitting down next to Will, she tucked her feet underneath her and sat back into the couch.  

"You have feelings for him."     

"What?" Sydney turned her head to face will, shock playing across her features.      

"You have feelings for him."     

"Him? Him, who?"        

"Him, Vaughn. I could see the pain in your eyes when you saw him walk in with that girl, Alice. You looked like you wanted to cry."     

"Please, I don't have feelings for Vaughn. He's my CIA handler. I'm not _allowed_ to have feelings for him."    

"You know just as well as I do, that you have feelings for him." He paused for a moment. "You love him." His voice wasn't spiteful or cruel; it was simply sympathetic; he knew what it was like to love someone you couldn't have. The kindness in his voice caught Sydney off guard. "I'm sorry I dragged you there tonight." 

"It's ok." Sydney replied sighing. "You couldn't have known he'd show up there, or that he'd bring Alice. It's not your fault." Sydney knew it was pointless to lie to Will. She may be good about lying about her job, but her heart was a completely separate matter, her eyes gave it all away.            

The two sat in silence for several minutes watching Cary Grant run through the cornfields. It was her favorite part of "North by Northwest" but she just wasn't in to it, it reminded her too much of her own life.

"He's a lucky guy, you know. To have you love him." Sydney smiled at her friend. "And he's a moron if he doesn't see that." It took all of her strength not to cry from that remark, so she just smiled softly leaning her head against Will's shoulder as his arm snaked around her. She sighed deeply as she watched the film play out to its 'happily ever after', silently wishing she were sitting there with Vaughn.


	3. Everything Changes

Title: **Through it All **  
  
Author: Secret Agent Girl (SAG)  
  
'Ship: I'm sorry, do you not know me? PLEASE! S/V!!  
  
Rating: Eh... We'll go with PG-13

A/N: I don't own the movies listed. I just have this crazy obsession with Hitchcock and Gene Kelly, it's a sickness I tell ya… a sickness! ::geek::

**Ch 3 – Everything Changes**

            She wandered into the warehouse, absent mindedly humming to herself the last part of the movie she had been watching at home. Her feelings had been pinpointing every different spot on the spectrum when she had heard his voice, her entire being unsure of what it could mean.

            _"Joey's Pizza?"_

_            Her heart had stopped for a moment. She hadn't expected him to call her. It was 10 at night and she expected to be home, home with… her entire being shuddered at the thought and pushed all thoughts into the recesses of her mind_

_            "Wrong number."_

            She kept moving into the depths of the warehouse, expecting him to be sitting there waiting.

            When she entered the room, closing the chain link fence behind her, she was surprised to be alone. That's when she remembered that there hadn't been another car outside.

            She sat down on a crate, waiting patiently, thinking about the movie she had been watching and humming the words again. "I'm singing in the rain, just singing in the rain… what a glorious feeling, I'm happy again…" She was just contemplating on what to do when she got home, (coffee or chocolate?) when she heard footsteps approaching the cage. She turned her head and found a pair of green eyes smiling at her.

            "Hey." He called as he closed the gate behind him.

            "Hi. I didn't expect you to call."

            "Why? You have a mission tomorrow." He took a step back, shock playing across his face. Has she not expected him to call for a countermission? 

            "Its just late is all. I expected you to be home, you know, resting." She carefully avoided the subject of who would be there with him; it was too hard to think of that, it hurt just too much.

            "Oh, sorry, is this too late? I just thought…"

            "No! No!" She cut him off. "It's fine. I was just watching an old video by myself. Francie and Will are at the restaurant."

            "Right, good." He nodded. "So your countermission…" He went straight into handler-mode detailing out everything that was of importance, bringing out the appropriate op-tech.

            When they had finished, she began to rise from her seat and prepared to leave when he suddenly asked her, "So, what movie were you watching?" He didn't want her to leave yet, he knew there was something she wasn't telling him, something that she was compartmentalizing and pushing into the depths of her mind.

            "Oh, _"Singing in the Rain"_. Will picked it up at the video store along with _"North by Northwest"_ and _"Rear Window_", but I wasn't in the mood to watch anything remotely resembling my life… at all." She smiled dryly.. He nodded as she talked and let out a light laugh as she ended.

            "Can't blame you."

            "Well, I better go. I was just about to get to the "Umbrella Dance" part." She smiled at him again, this time fully, her dimples creating craters in her cheeks.

            "Yeah, it's a good movie."

            "You've seen it?"

            "Oh, yeah. My mom used to watch it all the time when I was a kid. So I caught it on the TV all the time. She used to sing the songs all the time. Especially "Good Morning, Good Morning". She sung that one every time she came to wake me up for school." Sydney smiled as she imagined a younger Vaughn being woken up by a beautiful blond haired, green-eyed woman.

            "Hmm. That's one of my favorite songs. My nanny used to sing it sometimes while she made breakfast." Her mind wandered back to those days and her smile grew wide. "I should probably get going. I'm sure you've got to get going too."

            "Yeah. It's been a long day."

            "Hmm." She wanted to say something to seem as though the other night hadn't bothered her, hadn't completely destroyed her. "Did, ah, did you and Alice have a nice time at Francie's?"

            He stopped suddenly in the middle of repacking his briefcase. "Oh, ah, yeah. It was a really nice place."

            "Yeah, well, she had Will cleaning like mad the other day so it should have been nice." She laughed thinking back to when Francie had started freaking out over the Zaggat's reviewer coming to town.

            Vaughn began to slowly repack his brief case again. His every action carefully calculated, each piece being placed in his case with an obsessively careful hand. He had been uncomfortable the other night when he and Alice had run into Sydney at the restaurant and a pang of jealousy had surged through his body when he noticed that Sydney had been there with Will. He was now regaining that feeling of uncertainty as Sydney mentioned Alice. Having his two worlds collide like they had, had almost been too much. He really didn't even know why he was back with Alice. The only reason he could give himself was that Alice was someone he could have. Sydney wasn't. She was the unobtainable. "Well, you can tell him the place sparkled." He smiled weakly.

            "Yeah, I will. Thanks again for giving him the job."

            "No problem."

            "He still thinks he's comparing the questions. I didn't tell him what it really was. I don't think I could take talking to him about just how screwed up my family is. There's really no one who I talk to about that stuff." Her smile faded, as she mentally slapped herself for speaking that final thought out loud. Though she had tried as hard as she could to show that it hadn't, the other night had completely changed things for them. He was no longer that person she could call at any time, just to talk. He had another person in his life now, she silently reminded herself.

            "You have my number." He reminded her gently. She smiled weakly and knew that she would never be able to call him in the middle of the night to talk to him about her family now that she knew Alice could be there with him, that Alice could be the one to answer her phone call.

            "Hmm." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear. '_The last thing you need is for me to be bothering you at all hours of the night to listen to my decrepit life. And __Alice__ doesn't need me waking her up either.' She thought silently as she stood and smoothed out the invisible wrinkles in her jacket. "Thanks." She didn't want to pull away from him but she knew that she had to. She had to distance herself from it all, for her own feelings' sake. If she ever called and Alice answered, she didn't think she would be able to handle it.        She rose from her seat and without saying 'goodbye', walked to her car._

She entered her house 15 minutes later and collapsed on her couch. She was running on empty, her energy level shot. She decided against both coffee and chocolate and instead opted for her softest pajamas and laid back on the couch, starting the movie over again as she replayed everything that had happened in the last week.

Her mission went off without a hitch and she had copies of the documents and was only waiting to give them to Vaughn. She hadn't spoken to her mother since requesting for the antidote and she had spoken to her father only at SD-6 about SD-6 matters, usually during briefings with Sloane. 

            She had been getting ready for bed when the phone rang, two days after her mission. She picked up the receiver and answered with an emotionless tone. "Hello?"

            "Joey's Pizza?"

            "Wrong number." She spoke in a slightly agitated tone as she placed the phone back on the hook. She didn't want to go see him now. She had just gotten into her pajamas. She had finally thrown him from her mind. Without bothering to change, she slipped on her sneakers and grabbed her keys, thanking God that both Francie and Will were working again.

            She drove to the warehouse and walked in to find Vaughn waiting for her. Her voice was barely above a whisper and full of weakness and there was a hint of desperation in it when she spoke, and she hated it. "Hi."

            "Hey, are you ok?" He was worried about her, more than he should be and he knew it.

            "Yeah, I'm fine."

            "Really? You don't sound fine." His forehead creased in response as he flew past her flimsy reply/

            "No, I am. A little tired maybe but that's about it." She was controlling herself wonderfully, her mind set on the fact that she was there to give him the documents. She would not cry. "Here. These are what I got." She handed him the papers, all business.

            "Thanks. You know your dad asked me to talk to you."

            "Why?" Her head shot up as she prayed it was about nothing. She couldn't handle _that conversation, not now._

            "He was worried. Said you seem more detached lately, with everyone, not just him. He asked me if you had talked to me about anything that hinted at something bothering you and I realized you and I hadn't talked about basically anything lately."

            "I'm fine. Just been busy,"

            "You can always call me, you know." 

            "No. I can't." Vaughn was taken back by her strange remark. She had never been unable to talk to him about…well…anything, before.

            "Of course you can." He reasoned, not bothering to hide the shock and slight hurt that he felt in her reply.

            "No. I really can't. You don't need me bothering you all the time. You have a life and a … a girlfriend and you don't need me making life hard and complicated." She paused for a moment, surprised by her own statement. She had to get out of there before she broke down. "I should go."

            "You've never complicated my life, Sydney." He rushed out as she began to turn.

            "Yes I have. I've almost killed you several times. The last thing you need is for me to make matters worse. Don't worry, I'm fine. But I should go, Francie will be home soon and I think she'll find it strange if I walk in late in my pjs and sneakers."

            "OK." He couldn't say anything more. He wanted so badly to hold her and tell her how he felt but his own conscious held him back, his own damn loyalty to his job holding him back. He watched as she slowly began to walk away, her shoulder's hunched and her arms crossed over her chest protectively. His heart broke as he watched her and the moment he opened his mouth, the rule book had been thrown out the window, had a Mexican hat dance performed upon it and lit on fire. "Wait! You are not fine. I know you're not fine."

            "Yes, I am." Tears began to well in her eyes and she pulled her arms closer around her as she began to walk again.

            "Then why are you about to cry?" He walked towards her and she turned away even more. "Syd? Syd, what is it?" He was getting scared. 

            "It's nothing, really." She tried to run from him but he grabbed her arm and turned her body towards his, tears forming thin streams down her face.

            "Oh, Syd…" He turned her fully to him and held her tightly. Her body shook as she sobbed into his chest, all of the pain and frustration of the past few days coming out with each tear that fell.

            It took her a moment, but when she realized what she was doing, Sydney quickly backed away from Vaughn and began to wipe her eyes. "I'm sorry I shouldn't have done that."

            "Done what? Cried?" She nodded slowly. "Hey, I told you, you could cry all you wanted when I got better." He smiled and held his arms out and shrugged. "I'm fine now. All better."

            She gave a small laugh and smiled. "I know, but I still shouldn't have let you hold me like that."

            "Why?" He didn't understand. Just weeks ago, they had done the same thing when she had walked in, drenched, after talking to her father.

            "Because. If some girl had done that with Danny, I don't think I would have been very understanding." He finally understood why she had been acting so strangely, why she hadn't called him when she obviously needed someone. It was all coming together and he felt like hitting himself for not realizing it sooner.

            "Alice can mind her own business. If you need to talk to someone, about _anything_, you call me, ok? I mean it Sydney. You are way too important to have a nervous break down." He held her shoulders and looked into her eyes as he spoke.

            "I know. I know. The CIA needs me to bring down SD-6." 

            "_No. Not the CIA. I mean, yes, you are important to them, but I mean, me. You are way too important to me. I care about you too damn much to have you break down." He looked at her and smiled._

            She returned his smile and began to feel better, all the jealousy she had, slowly dripping away. He cared about her. Those words rand through her head as she looked at his soft smile. "Thank you." Her voice was barely a whisper, but she knew he had heard her, deep down she knew.

            His hands moved from her shoulders to her back and brought her body forward, embracing her once again. "Anytime." He slowly moved his arms up and down her back as a few small tears slid from her eyes.

           They stood there for a moment, neither one moving, until she finally backed away enough to look into his eyes. They sparkled back at her. She was about to open her mouth to tell him she had to go, when she felt him lean in and kiss her.

            Sydney stayed tense for only a moment before relaxing against him, melting into his touch. Neither could believe what was happening. Slowly they broke apart and looked at each other, both of their eyes sparkling.

            "Wow. Wow." Sydney looked down at the floor, quickly obverting her eyes from his, a smile trying to creep across her face.

            "I…I…" He didn't know what to say. He had imagined kissing her over and over again but he had never expected it to be that good.

            "Oh my God! Oh my God! I shouldn't have, I shouldn't have… OH. MY. GOD. Vaughn, you _have_ to go. You have to go _right now." Panic broke into her voice and his head shot up with the urgency in her voice._

            "What? Why?"

            "Vaughn, you have a girlfriend! Oh my God, oh my God."

            "Oh my God." He mentally slapped himself for throwing something that was supposed to have meant the world to him out the window so quickly. "No, wait, not oh my God. I don't care."

            "_What!?" She could have exploded! He didn't care? Wait! What didn't he care about? Alice? Or her?_

            "I don't care if I have a girlfriend." Sydney let out a breath she didn't know she had been holding as he smiled at her.

            "Vaughn, yes you do. You obviously love her. I could see it the other day. You wouldn't be with her again if you didn't." Sydney turned away from him and tried to walk towards the door, wanting to put this behind her. She didn't want to be "the other girl". She hated women like that and she refused to become one. 

            She only got two steps before he grabbed her wrist. "I am begging you not to leave before I tell you what I want to tell you." She turned her body to face him, avoiding his gaze by staring intently at her shoes.

            "You, you don't have to say anything. I don't, I don't…" She took a breath collecting herself. "I really have to go before Francie gets back and I just think it would be better if we just walk away." Tears began to form in her eyes and she needed to get out of there before they fell. Tears to her were a sign of weakness and she had already shown enough of that for one night.

            "No. I refuse to let you walk away before I tell you this." He took a deep breath and closed his eyes briefly. When he opened them back up he forced her chin up to meet his gaze. "I got back together with Alice for reasons that I am not very proud of. She and I got back together because I was lonely. It was after I had seen you rush to Will's side after he had been hypnotized. I saw you rush to him and I saw the way you looked at him and I realized as long as SD-6 was still around I could never be that guy who's side you would rush too. I realized as long as SD-6 existed, you were unobtainable and after that I called Alice. We've barely seen each other more than a few times since I called her and the other night at the restaurant was the first time we had gone out since calling her. But that night was the night I realized something. Alice wasn't the person I wanted to be out with. Alice is not the person I love." He paused for a moment gathering his courage, choosing his words carefully. "You are the one I love." 

Sydney's eyes widened at his confession. She couldn't breathe. Her insides tingled and it was a good 20 seconds before she realized that she hadn't said anything. Vaughn lowered his head, his hand dropping from her wrist and he spoke before she could open her mouth. "Wow. I just realized how incredibly stupid that was of me. I shouldn't have said anything. Syd, I'm so sorry…"

            "Vaughn!" She cut him off sharply. "You gonna shut up long enough for me to tell you I love you? Or do you really feel the need to keep on rambling?"  
            

He looked into her eyes and saw the love beaming from them, her face spreading a deep smile across it, dimples and all. He couldn't help but smile. "Really?" 

            "Really. I've been in this huge wave of jealousy since I say you two together at Francie's. Even Will noticed my feelings that night, that's why he got me out of there as soon as possible." She smiled at the thought of Will protecting her from the pain she felt when Vaughn had walked in with Alice.

            "We are the two _stupidest_ people on Earth, you know that?" She gave him a questioning look. "I've been jealous since I saw _you_ out with Will that night." He chuckled causing her to smile and laugh.

            Before she could remark, he leaned passed her and grabbed her cell phone that was sticking out of her purse. "Leave a message at home for Francie. Your dad called and asked you to help him with something. You're gonna be home late." He smiled fully as he handed her the phone.

            She took the phone and was surprised to see him grab his. "Alice is at her place." He told her answering her unspoken question. "I just need to tell her I don't want to see her anymore." He smiled and leaned into kiss Sydney once more before turning around and dialing Alice's home.

            The rest of the night became a blur to the two of them. They spent hours just talking, learning everything they could about each other. When Sydney finally realized she had to go around 12:30 she stood and gathered her things. "I swear, SD-6 is going down so fast. And the second they fall, I expect to find you outside the building, arms open. Waiting."

           "I'll wait forever." He stood now and grabbed her, pulling her into a kiss. "Until the world comes crashing down, I will wait for you." He looked deeply into her eyes. "I love you, Sydney." He called after her retreating back as she began to walk away.

            She paused, mid step, and looked over her shoulder. "I love you too… Michael." She turned and walked out of the warehouse, leaving a smiling Vaughn standing there, unmoved, pondering over the fact that she had finally called him _Michael._


	4. After All, You Trained Me

Title: **Through it All **  
  
Author: Secret Agent Girl (SAG)  
  
'Ship: I'm sorry, do you not know me? PLEASE! S/V!!  
  
Rating: Eh... We'll go with PG-13  
  
A/N: We are soo far into AU land that the actual storylines have disappeared. But hey… that's what fluff's all about ain't it?! One more after this and then this story is completed. But don't fret… I have 3 more in this series before its completed.

**Ch.**** 4 – After All, You Trained Me**

            Looking back on everything, she wondered how they had kept everyone in the dark for so long. They always met in places where no one would know who they were. They would meet in quiet secluded places, away from the hustle and bustle of their LA lives, and would just sit and talk for hours.

            It amazed her just how happy she could be just sitting in a small café, at a back table, just looking into his bright green eyes.

            Sitting there with her was some of the happiest times of his life. In the café, holding her hand, talking softly, hearing stories about her childhood, about her day, anything, the lives that they led melted away and Agents Bristow and Vaughn disappeared leaving only Sydney and Michael.    

            In one of these particular rendezvous', Sydney entered the small dimly lit café, almost an hour late, to find a panicked Vaughn, taping his fingers nervously. When she neared the table, she spread a nervous grin across her face and sat down. "Hey."

            "Hey. Are you ok? I was just about to call your cell." She smiled at his concern.

            "Yeah. Francie wouldn't be quiet, and then I had a tail. It took me 15 minutes to lose him. Then my dad called to tell me about a meeting he had with Devlin, though all he said was, I had a meeting with Devlin, which I know was completely inane, but hey, that's my dad." She paused and let out a sighing laugh. "Sorry I didn't call."

            "No, Syd, it's ok. I'm just glad you're ok." He grasped her hand as he rose slightly from his seat to place a gentle kiss on her lips. "Hey." He smiled at her as he sat back down.

            "Hi."

            "So, what was Francie ragging on about?"

            "Hmmm." She took a sip of his coffee. "She's convinced that I'm secretly seeing someone. Though I don't know _where she gets that from." She smiled at him mischievously as she took another sip from his coffee._

            "Is that good?" He joked as he watched her drink his coffee.

            "Hmm." She laughed. "Sorry, long day." He nodded understandingly and called the waitress over.

            "The usual?" The young teenaged waitress asked them as she neared the table. She loved to serve these two. She never knew their names but once a week or so they would meet here and just talk, plus it helped that they gave great tips.

            "Please." Vaughn replied.

            "Hmm, with a double chocolate chip, hot fudge sundae with M&M's." Sydney smiled. "Long day. I need chocolate." She winked at Vaughn as he tried to stifle a laugh.

            The waitress wrote down their orders and walked away, a smile across her face at the interaction between her two favorite customers.

            "So how was your day?" She mused as she got comfortable in the booth.

            "Hmm, really long and boring, meetings, paper work, trying to avoid both Devlin and your father, the usual." 

            "Why were you avoiding my dad?" She asked. She knew why he was avoiding Devlin. Every time he saw Devlin, he was dragged into long meetings.

            "I think he suspects that something is going on between you and me."

            "Eh, he's just a worrier." She mused taking another sip of his coffee. "He wouldn't do anything about it, don't worry."

            "You sure?" He was slightly apprehensive about Jack. Honestly, he was terrified of him when it came to matters concerning Sydney. Though Jack had one of the most stable heads in the business and was one of the most brilliant strategists he had ever met, when it came to his daughter, nothing was too extreme for Jack Bristow.

            "I'm sure. Don't worry." She smiled as the waitress placed their meals in front of them, Sydney a grilled chicken sandwich and side salad, Vaughn a cheeseburger and fries.

            Their conversation became mundane as they began to eat. Their conversations always happened this way. They avoided all CIA, SD-6 talk as much as they could. Talking about work was for the warehouse, not the café.

            They neared the end of their meal, sandwiches gone, all that remained was a few of Vaughn's fries and Sydney would receive her sundae soon. Soon they would have to leave each other.

            In a break in their conversation, Sydney's mind wandered across something that had happened earlier in the day. She reached across the table and grabbed one of his fries. "Something weird happened today."

            "Weird? Like what, weird?"

            She grabbed another fry. "Sloane. He was acting strange. Paranoid. I didn't want to say anything because these dinners aren't for work talk, but I had to say something. I needed to know if you knew if something was going on. I've been doing this for over 3 years now; I need to know if something is going to happen. I deserve to know."

            He smiled slightly as she grabbed fry after fry as she spoke. Before he could speak, the waitress came for their plates and handed Sydney her sundae. When the waitress had left, Sydney took a bite of her sundae and then looked at Vaughn pointedly, waiting for him to speak.

            "We knew that it would take a long time Syd…"

            He was avoiding her question and they both knew it. "Michael…" She looked at him seriously.

            "I'm serious, Syd. We agreed before that this whole thing was long term…"

           "Vaughn." She used his last name with a streak of anger. She still called him Vaughn in the presence of others, but during their dinners and when they were alone, she only called him 'Vaughn' when she was angry or annoyed.

            He took in a deep breath and after staring at the table for a moment, looked up to meet her gaze, her brown eyes baring deep into his green ones. "Ok. I don't want you to get worked up over this."

            "A little late for that."

            "The last Intel you gave us from you mission was huge."

            "How huge?"

            "End of SD-6, huge." Her eyes widened when he said that to her.

            She dropped her spoon in her ice cream dish, "What? How? How?"

            "It was Intel about the security operations that secure all the branches of the Alliance. With that, we're going to be able to cut their feed and storm in. The details are still being worked out. We want to make sure that we can cut all of their feed before we enter so that the members aren't tipped off before we enter. We want to catch them completely off guard." He stopped and looked at her, deeply into her eyes, trying to read the emotions that were running through them.

            She could hardly believe it. If they were to cut the feed and storm the buildings, all of them, and succeeded, she would be out of this life. This was the one thing that she had been working towards for the last 3 years. "Are you….. Are you serious?" He nodded. "Did you know….Did you know this was what I was going after?" He took a moment before nodding slowly. "You knew! You knew and you didn't tell me?!" Her voice rose slightly as she began to get frustrated. "I can't believe it!"

            "Sydney, I am begging you to keep your voice at a lower level."

            "You're right, I'm sorry." She brought her voice back down and took another bite of her ice cream. "Why didn't you tell me?"

            "Devlin wanted to but I wouldn't let him." He held up his hand when she opened her mouth. "**I didn't want to tell you because if something had gone wrong and you couldn't get the disks but Dixon got them instead, you would be miserable and depressed and would try to find away to get them from Sloane."**

            She knew his logic and understood. "Ok."

            "OK? You're not mad a me?"

            "No." She sighed. "I would have preferred to be told and it hurts me that you didn't but," she took a breath collecting herself. "When do they plan on putting 'the plan' into action?"

            "Not for a few weeks. Two, I think."

            "I…."

            "No." He cut her off knowing what she was going to say. "I talked to your dad about all of this already. You're going to finish off this week, and then you are going on a three week vacation because your friend from high school is getting married in England and you're a bridesmaid."

            "You're kidding, right?"

            "No. Your dad and Devlin don't want you in the building when they enter. **I** don't want you to be in the building. Knowing what could happen to you in there….the answer is no. You can still be in town but not at the bank."

            "Where are you going to be?"

            "Outside in one of the surveillance vans."

            "I want to be there with you."

            "What? Sydney, no."

            "Yes, Michael. I want to be there when they take Sloane away. I want to tell Marshall and Dixon that it's ok. But mainly, I want to see the look on Sloane's face when the entire Alliance is taken down. You owe me that much."

            He knew there was no way he was going to win.  She wanted to be there more than anything and he knew that if he didn't let her be where he knew she would be safe, she would find a way to get inside the building. "Ok." He relented, understanding her need to see it fall, her need to see it to believe it.

            "Thank you Michael. I may have moved on with my life and have fallen in love with a man I know I can't live without, but nothing will make me happier than to see the people that killed Danny, be destroyed."

The next few weeks seemed to drag on for forever. Sydney finished out the week at SD-6 then packed a bag and moved into a CIA "safe house" apartment building. She spent most of her time being trekked in and out of the CIA JTF and Headquarters through a blacked out car that would enter the parking garage and wait for her.

When the day finally came to infiltrate SD-6, Sydney met her father and Vaughn along with Director Kendal in CIA headquarters. "I'll be in there first." Her father spoke with an all business attitude. "I'll be in a meeting with Sloane when the team moves in. I'll play the whole 'Arvin what's going on?' act until I know the CIA is in control and then I'll take Sloane into custody."

            "Dad, be careful." Sydney cautioned as she caught his eye. Despite everything they had been through, the obvious riffs in their relationship, he was still her only link to the past and she still didn't want anything to happen to him.      

            "Don't worry. I'll be fine. I can take Sloane easily."

            "You never know, Dad."

            "Yes, well, thank you."

The day progressed and the group began to prepare for the days events. When Jack left for Credit Dauphine, Sydney entered Vaughn's vacant office and began to pace. It was only a matter of minutes before she would be entering the van with Vaughn and the rest of the team, to prepare for the final step. 

            He had watched her enter his office. Though the blinds were drawn, Vaughn could see Sydney's silhouette as she paced across his office. More than anything he wanted to go into his office and hold her, to stop her pain. The only thing keeping him from doing so was the voice that constantly rang through his head singing "PROTOCOL". However there was another voice that rang back reminding him that if everything went according to plan, he could finally hold her in public without meeting in a no-name café and watching for tails. He could meet Francie, and introduce Sydney to his mother. His hand reached into his pocket and clasped around a small box inside. "Soon" he told himself as he went to tell her it was time to leave.

            She couldn't speak when he had entered the office and informed her that they were preparing to leave. So instead she nodded and placing her arms across her chest, hugging herself, she walked past him out of his office and into the parking garage and the van that waited for them.

The next half hour seemed to pass on fast forward. Sydney could barely remember entering the van, when all of the sudden she was staring at the screen, the security feed being cut and the CIA team had just entered the building. She shook slightly as she listened to the team enter SD-6 and yelled for everyone to get on their knees, hands behind their heads. With only audio, Sydney was relieved to find that no gun shots had been fired.

            She glanced over at Vaughn apprehensively and he quickly switched to the comm. link to her father was wearing. "Jack. It's Vaughn. If you can hear me, ask Sloane for the time."

            Sydney could hear a soft muttered shuffle come from the head set she was wearing and she was about to panic when she heard her father's voice. "Arvin, do you have the time? My watch seems to have stopped." She let out a breath she hadn't realized she was holding, relieved.

            "Good. Ok, Jack, T minus 30 seconds before Sloane should realize something is wrong." Vaughn spoke from beside her.      

            Silently in her head Sydney began to count the seconds. After 30 she could hear Sloane's frantic questions. After 45 she could hear shouts from the CIA men. After 70 she heard Sloane ask Jack what the hell he thought he was doing and after 90 she heard a muffled _thump as her father knocked Sloane unconscious. A single tear rolled down her cheek and she slid the headphones off her head._

            It was a good 20 seconds before Vaughn realized Sydney wasn't wearing her headset anymore but instead was sitting back, arms folded across her chest, one hand covering her mouth as tears streamed down her face. "Syd? Sydney, what's wrong?"

            "It's over."

            "Yeah, it is." He understood and just sat there with her, his arm resting on her shoulder, slowly moving up and down, calming her.

            After a few moments, Vaughn saw the CIA begin to move people out of the building; the first to exit was Dixon and Marshall. He was about to tell Sydney, but she was already getting up and exiting the van to see her friends.

A steady stream of people exited the building for well over an hour. Most going quietly and without restraints, the only one in handcuffs were those who knew what SD-6 really was.

            After an hour and 15 minutes, Jack emerged from the building, an angry Sloane being shoved along in front of him. Sydney walked to him and stared him straight in the eyes. "You'll go down for this, Sydney."

            She could have laughed if she wasn't so drained. "That's an empty threat coming from someone on his way to jail. You should have known I would figure it out sooner or later. After all, you trained me." Her words cut deep and she knew it.     

            Sloane reared back and spat in Sydney's face. Jack was about to retaliate, when Sydney brushed her father's hand away. After wiping the spit from her face, she struck Sloane, hard, across the face. "That is for Danny." She hit him again. "That is for all the people you lied to." Once more. "That is for all the lives you destroyed including Emily's." She gripped his shoulders and swiftly brought her knee to his groin. "And _that is for me and the life you deprived me of."_

            She watched as her father forcefully threw Sloane into a van, not caring about whether or not the other man was being injured in the process. He walked back to her and she pulled him to her, hugging him tightly. She smiled at him as they broke apart and watched as her father turned and entered the van, accompanying his once friend to the CIA. 

She watched as the van slowly took off, her eyes never leaving it as it became a small dot down the busy LA streets. Looking around her she realized that everyone had left. Or, rather, almost everyone. Standing by a van, his tie loosened, Vaughn stood watching her.  She slowly began to walk towards him, breaking into a smile as she quickened her pace until it was a full fledged run. She reached the van and stopped just short of his arms, looking into his eyes for a moment before plunging into his embrace. 

After what seemed like an eternity, she pulled away just far enough so that she could meet his eyes, her smile never leaving her face. "I told you I'd be waiting here." He smiled at her reminding of her of the promise he made the first time they had kissed.

She grasped his hand and smiled. "Come on."

            "Where are we going?"

            "To my place. I think it's time Francie met the man I love."


	5. Whole

A/N - CHAPTER 5!!! YEAH!!! Told you it would be here by Friday! Anyways, this is the FINAL chapter for "Through it All", and I know it ends at a place where it could have like a million more chapters to go, but because the basis is going to change. I am having a sequel which I have already started to write..actually I have almost a full three chapters written! SO. The first chapter of the sequel will be up (it doesn't have a name yet but you'll know that it's the sequel TRUST ME) this weekend. Sunday at the latest..who knows I could get on a roll today and post it! Hehe! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!!  
  
I OWN NOTHING! ABOSLUTELY NOTHING! ALIAS- JJ Abrams owns that along with Bad Robot Productions.. An American in Paris is owned by whoever owns that and Gene Kelly yeah I don't own him (especially since he's dead). I just love that movie and Gene Kelly so that's why they are in here... BUT WITHOUT FURTHER ADU - HERE IS CHAPTER 5!!! DON'T FORGET TO REVIEW!! - Secret Agent Girl  
CHAPTER 5 - WHOLE  
Hey sat in his car, outside her apartment, her breathing deep. He turned off the engine and looked at her. "We don't have to do this, you know."  
  
"Yes. Yes we do. By 6:00 it will be all over the news. She deserves to be told by me. I want her to know the truth about who I am."  
  
"You lied to her about your job, Syd, not about yourself."  
  
She smiled at him and tucked a loose piece of hair behind her ear. "Come on."  
  
They exited the car and she leaned against it and breathed deeply. He walked over to her and gripped her hand. She turned to him, smiled and leaned into kiss him, cupping his cheek in her free hand.  
  
A pair of blue eyes peered out of the blinds from the living room window. A flash of jealousy appeared in his eyes but left quickly when he noticed that Sydney was smiling as she pulled away from the kiss she was engaged in. He realized that she was happy and that's all he really wanted. As the two outside broke apart, he turned from the window and moved to the couch. "I think Sydney's home." Will told Francie as he sat down next to her.  
  
"Oh, good! I wanted to watch the movie I picked up with her." Francie smiled as the door opened.  
  
"Hello?" Her voice was happy and Sydney entered her home, ready to tell them everything.  
  
"Hey!" Francie called over her shoulder as she began to turn towards Sydney. She noticed that Sydney's arm was still outside the door, apparently attached to something. She was about to question it when a tall dirty blond man with striking green eyes entered.  
  
"Hey, Francie, this is Michael. Michael, Francie, and you know Will."  
  
"Hey." Vaughn stuck his free hand out at Francie to shake it.  
  
"Hi, nice to meet you."  
  
"Will." Vaughn nodded towards Will, who hadn't moved since standing up form the couch.  
  
"Hey. Not to be rude or anything, but how is it OK for you to be here?"  
  
"WILL!" Francie wouldn't believe that Will was being so incredibly rude. She knew he always had a crush on Sydney but he had never gone too far. The way Sydney and Michael were holding on to each other, form the moment they had entered the door, the two where obviously very much in love.  
  
"No, Francie, it's ok. I understand what he means, though he could have put it differently." She glared at Will for a moment before motioning to the couch. "You guys should probably sit down." Francie and Will looked at her curiously and Sydney simply nodded.  
  
Slipping her hand from Vaughn's grasp, Sydney removed her coat and hung it up, only to find Vaughn removing his outer coat and loosening his tie and undoing his top shirt button. She took his coat and hung it next to hers and then smiled at him as she regrasped his hand and walked to the couch. Francie and Will had both taken residence in the two chairs, leaving the couch, which was directly across from both chairs, free. Sydney and Vaughn sat down and Sydney took in a deep breath. Vaughn squeezed her hand for encouragement and Sydney slowly began. "I don't work for a bank, I never have. I worked for a company called SD-6." She began to tell them everything. Francie sat in shock as will sat quietly, having already known most of the story. When Sydney came to the part about Danny, tears welled in her eyes and Vaughn slipped into the bathroom, quickly, to supply Sydney with tissues. She quietly thanked him before continuing on.  
  
She was just about to get to the final parts about everything when Will butted in. "You keep using past tense."  
  
"Yeah, I'm just about to get to that." She told them all about the day's events and when she had finished she had never felt so relieved in her life.  
  
Francie waited a moment, glancing at her best friend and the man sitting next to her before she spoke. "So Michael's 'Joey's Pizza'?"  
  
Vaughn couldn't help but laugh. "Yeah. Sorry about that." He smiled at her and when she smiled back, he knew all was forgotten.  
  
"How long have the two of you been together?" Francie couldn't help but ask.  
  
"Uh." Sydney looked at Vaughn. She had worked hard to avoid the romantic details about her and Vaughn during her story, trying to distance their relationship from everything that was wrong with her life. "About a year?"  
  
Vaughn nodded with agreement. "Yeah, that sounds about right."  
  
"Wow. You've had this big secret for so long." Sydney felt the on rush of anger about to come when Francie spoke and she readied herself for the worse. "And then added, you have this gorgeous guy you can't show off?" As Vaughn blushed, Sydney sighed with relief as the anger never came, instead Francie smiled.  
  
"Yeah. But now it's over! I'm leaving it all behind. No more. The only thing form that entire life that is going to stay part of my new life is Michael. Well him and my father." She smiled at her friends and leaned back in the couch, leaning slightly against Vaughn. "Why so quiet Will?"  
  
"Eh, just thinking. I'm amazed that the scum bag is finally in jail." He though for a moment before breaking into a smile. "Oh, yeah, it's a GOOD day." He smiled and then a thought hit him. "HEY! Does that mean that I get to have my criminal record wiped clean?"  
  
Sydney smiled at Will's eagerness. "Uh.Michael?"  
  
He smiled at her before turning to Will. "I figured you would want that so I talked to Devlin, my boss. As of 6:30 this evening, which is after all the major new stations have basically exposed SD-6, you will have no criminal record. Instead it will state that you worked with the CIA in a deep undercover operation."  
  
"SERIOUSLY?" Vaughn nodded. "MAN! After that whole research deal you gave me when I needed it most and everything, I am going to be in debt to you for life!" Will couldn't seem stop smiling.  
  
"Nah, really. I'm just glad everything turned out well." He stopped for a moment and looked at Sydney. He looked into her eyes and she knew what he was silently saying. They could be together now, finally.  
  
"OH! Syd, I have the best idea! Are you planning on doing something this afternoon?" Francie looked at her with excitement.  
  
"This afternoon? Unless Michael is planning something.."She looked at him and he shook his head no. "Then, no! I am in for a long, relaxing day of sitting at home with the most important people in my life." She smiled at her friends.  
  
"Oh, good! I picked up SUCH a great movie! I wanted to wait for you to watch it and I think you deserve the time to just sit and watch one of the greatest movies ever!" She suddenly jumped up and ran to the kitchen counter and returned gripping a video in her hands.  
  
"What did you get?" Sydney questioned as Francie returned. Francie threw the video at Sydney and Sydney's eyes lit up when she saw the film's title. "AH!! 'An American in Paris'?! I love Gene Kelly! Oh my God, Francie, this is like one of my favorite movies ever!" Sydney was giddy with happiness. Everything around her seemed to be coming together in a way she never thought possible.  
  
Sydney handed the movie back to Francie, who took it and walked to the VCR. "So, Michael, are you going to join us? Or is this too boring of an afternoon of a CIA man?" Francie joked.  
  
"Please, call me Mike, and no. This is perfect. I'd love to stay. I just need to check in with my boss, make sure everything is OK." He stood and took out his phone.  
  
"Hmm, Michael, tell Devlin to have my father come see me tomorrow or at least call. I have to talk to him." Sydney said as Vaughn rose.  
  
"'K."  
  
"Oh, and Michael?" He smiled at her as if to say 'yes dear?'. "Take off your gun holster and relax." She smiled sweetly at him as he chuckled and walked away.  
  
Later that day, around 5 o'clock, when the movie had finished, Sydney's cell phone rang, startling them all. When she answered it, she realized it was her father. He told her all about Sloane's automatic jail sentence of at least life, if not consecutive life terms. He also reminded her that she had a full day of meetings tomorrow. As she was about to hang up with him, her father told her to have a good night and reminded her for the first time in years, that he loved her and was proud of her. She smiled as she hung up and walked back into the living room.  
  
"Jack?" Vaughn asked as she entered the room.  
  
"Yeah, reminding me of the meetings tomorrow. I have to talk to most of SD-6 about everything."  
  
"Right." Vaughn nodded knowingly. "I'll be there with you though." He offered to her slightly apprehensive face. "Hey, do you think I could talk to you for a moment?" He asked as she nodded and walked towards her room, Vaughn following her.  
  
"What's up?"  
  
"Today has been fun. Well, you know the movie part." He chuckled softly. " I was wondering, though, if you'd be willing to come with me somewhere tonight?"  
  
"Yeah, no problem. Where are you going?"  
  
"No where really."He paused.  
  
"Michael.."  
  
"I want to take you to meet my mother."  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yeah. But we'd have to leave like soon ."  
  
She smiled at him now and nodded. "Ok. Give me 15 minutes?" She asked and he nodded. "Great! Ok, you go and watch TV. And could you send Francie in here?"  
  
He leaned over and kissed her deeply. "OK." He turned to leave when he suddenly turned back and grabbed Sydney, kissing her deeply for a moment. "I love you."  
  
"I love you." She smiled. "But unless you want our mother to meet a VERY messy me. You need to leave and go get Francie."  
  
"Yes, dear." He joked as he left the room.  
  
A minute later, Francie entered the room with a worried look on her face. "Are you OK, sweetie? Mike said you needed me?"  
  
"Yeah, I need your help. Mike is taking me to meet his mother and I need to look really nice."  
  
"OH! That's great Syd! Let's see." Francie walked over to Sydney's closet and began to piece together the perfect outfit.  
  
Out in the living room, Will and Vaughn sat watching TV, in silence. "So you finally realized it, huh?" Will asked Vaughn suddenly.  
  
"Realized what?"  
  
"That she loved you."  
  
"Yeah, well I think we both realized each other's feelings at the same time when I kissed her." Vaughn smiled.  
  
"Sydney doesn't need anyone to protect her, we both know that." Will grew serious as he turned to look at Vaughn. "But you hurt her, and I swear, you'll wish Sloane had found out about you first."  
  
"I know."  
  
"You're the luckiest man, you know?" Will looked at Vaughn with envy as Sydney entered the room wearing a simple black skirt and a soft tan shirt, her hair curling around her shoulders.  
  
"I know." Vaughn relied as he stared at Sydney. "Trust me when I say, I know."  
  
They sat in his car as he drove down the street, quietly. He turned into a dark road and she looked at him questioningly. "There's something I need to do first." He told her answering her silent question.  
  
"OK." She spoke quietly.  
  
They ended up at a cemetery and he parked and turned off the engine. "Come on." He told her as they exited the car, his hand placed in his pants pocket for the millionth time that day, clutching a square object.  
  
They left his car and slowly walked through the cemetery, Vaughn slightly ahead of Sydney. They walked for close to five minutes before Vaughn stopped beside a grave. Sydney drew up next to Vaughn, holding herself against the cold wind that was softly blowing, wising that she had brought a coat. "Sydney Bristow, meet William Vaughn, my dad." Sydney peered down at the grave and saw Vaughn's father's name etched in the stone.  
  
"Michael?"  
  
"I wanted to do this here because I always imagined doing it in front of my father. He and I were so close, I couldn't imagine doing this anywhere else." Sydney stood in silence, contemplating what he could possibly mean. "Sydney, my life changed so greatly when you walked into the office, crazy red hair and all." Sydney chuckled at the memory. "You were so strong. You knew what you wanted and went for it. I had never met anyone like you. I knew that I loved you that night on the pier when you were crying, I saw the real you, the vulnerable Sydney. The night you came to me in the hospital, when they thought we were both sick, you were so scared. My love for you just grew and that first time you called me Michael, I knew that once SD-6 was gone, I wanted to do this. At this moment he reached into his pants pocket and gripped the black velvet box as if it gave him confidence.  
  
He had tears in his eyes as he looked at her, tears streaming down her cheeks, shivering from the cold but not saying a word. "Here." He removed his suit jacket and placed it around her shoulders. " I know girls love it, but I'm not big on the whole, down on one knee thing," he laughed as he removed the box from his pocket. She laughed through her tears as he smiled at her. He opened the box to reveal a beautiful diamond solitaire encased by two beautiful blue sapphires. "I love you, Sydney Bristow, and nothing would make me happier than for you to become my wife."  
  
She began to cry harder as she smiled out him and let out a small laugh. "I can't imagine living any other way." She smiled at him.  
  
"So, was that a yes or a no?"  
  
"Of course it's a yes!" She hit him lightly on the arm. He picked up the ring from its place in the box and raising her left hand, lid in gently on her ring finger. He held her hand, starring at the ring before looking into her eyes and pulling her into a soft and gentle kiss. When they pulled apart, he brushed his thumb across her cheeks, wiping away all the tears.  
  
"Your mother's going to think I'm a wet rat." She joked as she brought her right hand up to her eyes trying to clear away any running makeup, Vaughn still clutching her left hand.  
  
"My mother's going to love you. Come on." He slipped his right arm around her shoulders, his left hand never letting her left hand go, while his thumb ran over the delicate ring.  
  
They walked to the car in silence and ventured off to his mother's in a quiet peacefulness, Sydney gazing between her ring and Vaughn the entire ride.  
  
They pulled up in front of a small house, half an hour later and Vaughn turned off the engine and turned to Sydney. "You ready?"  
  
"That depends. Do I look like a wet rat?" She asked him in a small voice.  
  
"No." He smiled. "You look beautiful." He leaned over and kissed her lightly before exiting the car and going to open the door for her.  
  
He gripped her hand and they walked to the door, Sydney still wearing Vaughn's suit jacket. He rang the bell and a short, French looking woman appeared before them. "Mom," Vaughn smiled at his mother. "Mom, I would like you to meet Sydney Bristow." He paused for a moment. "My fiancée."  
  
Sydney smiled as the older woman began to cry and the three of them stepped into the small, quaint home. Sydney couldn't stop smiling. For the first time in 10 years, she felt whole.  
A/N - There it is! My story is complete! Do you people want a sequel? I have it started but I need to know if you want one! Let me know and I will type it up! Yeah! So did you like it? How did I do for my first Fan Fic? REVIEW please! - Secret Agent Girl 


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